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Jundo 'Office Hours' (for Dokusan)

Hi All,

I prefer to keep most discussion and teaching out and open though this Forum, where many members of the Sangha can support each other, offer advice and share together. I tend to emphasize private meetings for personal and sensitive matters, or just as a way to get to know and 'touch base' with everyone here from time to time. Especially during our Ango, many folks would like to meet and chat every so often.

For that reason, I would like to announce my most available "office hours". Because I am in Japan, I will quote Japan time, and ask you to translate that to your own time zone and schedule. Other times may be available, but limited.

PLEASE EMAIL ME A FEW DAYS IN ADVANCE (UNLESS URGENT, OF COURSE) TO SET A TIME. I prefer to videochat via Skype (Skype.com ... free, easy to install and use), so a camera is best.

EMAIL:[/b] jundotreeleaf[a]gmail.comSKYPE NAME: KEIZANDOGENHOURS:Most weekdays (Monday through Friday) from 11AM (for a couple of hours) and from 10pm (for a couple of hours) ALL JAPAN TIME

(Those are the most open times for me, although I will try to arrange other hours if there is special need.)

Also, please be aware that most such meetings (sometimes called "Dokusan" in Soto Zen or "Sanzen" in Rinzai Zen) are typically very friendly and informal in Soto practice, especially in the west and outside a monastery. Few mysterious "Koan-ish" interchanges and formalities (as in the pictures) ...

... and more a simple relaxed chat on "how are you?" and "how's your practice going?"

Re: Jundo 'Office Hours' (for Dokusan)

Someone wrote me about "when is a good time for Dokusan". Here is what I said ...

=============================

I don't know how teachers at the other Sanghas you attended handled such, as it is varies teacher to teacher. However, generally, I think you know that in Rinzai Zen (and groups like the White Plum which are mixed Rinzai-Soto) many students are working through a set of Koans, and present their understanding to the teacher for each one. So, Dokusan (they call it Sanzen) is about that. So, a regular set of meetings must be scheduled.

In Soto, especially in the West, Dokusan tends to be a more informal "how's it going, what's up?" with one's Practice. There is no particular set subject. In my case, I tend to keep 90% of the discussion out on the Community Forum, where many folks can benefit from the discussion or offer their insights. I like to use individual Dokusan for more private or sensitive matters or matters very particular to that person's practice that they wish to discuss one-on-one. It certainly is not a therapy session because the issue is always Zen and Zen Practice, but we can sometimes talk about something going on in the person's life and how that is Practice too.

I also like to use Dokusan just to get to know folks a bit better from the Sangha and "touch base."

So, I usually don't do regularly scheduled Dokusan with most people, only when something special 'comes up'. However, contact me any time (the best hours to schedule Dokusan are posted above).

Another thing is, like many westerners, I don't emphasize the formalities of Dokusan parodied in the above video ... and keep it "casual".